Azerbaijani artists to feature at Venice Bienalle in unprecedented Love Me, Love Me Not
01 Jun - 24 Nov 13
Love Me, Love Me Not is an unprecedented exhibition of contemporary art from Azerbaijan and its neighbours, featuring recent work by seventeen artists from Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Russia, and Georgia. Produced and supported by YARAT, a non-profit contemporary art organisation based in Baku, and curated by Dina Nasser-Khadivi, the exhibition will be open to the public from 1st June until 24th November 2013 at the 55th Venice Biennale.
The title of the show, Love Me, Love Me Not, relates to the vacillating relationships between the countries surrounding Azerbaijan, as well as the relationship between the artist and the viewers. It also references the work of the same title included in the show by the renowned collaborative Slavs and Tatars.
"There is currently equal curiosity and misconception about Azerbaijan and the countries surrounding it," explains curator Dina Nasser-Khadivi. "The works on show will provide insight into the dynamics of each nation, bringing to light forgotten aspects of history and demonstrating the breadth of vision and creativity at play within their borders."
YARAT Contemporary Art Space was founded in 2011 by Aida Mahmudova. It is a non-profit organisation dedicated to nurturing an understanding of contemporary art in Azerbaijan and to creating a platform for Azerbaijani art, both nationally and abroad.
Based in Baku, YARAT, (which means 'create' in Azerbaijani) realises its mission through an on-going programme of exhibitions, educational events and festivals. YARAT facilitates dialogue and exchange between local and international artistic networks, including foundations, galleries and museums. A series of residencies further fosters opportunities for global cultural dialogue and partnerships.
YARAT's educational initiatives include lectures, seminars, master classes, and the Young Artist Project ARTIM (meaning PROGRESS in Azerbaijani). ARTIM aims to encourage the next generation of Azerbaijani creative talent to seek a career in the arts and gives young practitioners the opportunity to exhibit their works in a professional context.
Founded as part of YARAT's ongoing commitment to growing local art infrastructure, YAY Gallery is a commercial exhibition space. In line with this, YAY (meaning SHARE in Azerbaijani) shares all proceeds from sales between the artist and YARAT and supports a range of national and international artists.
Dina Nasser-Khadivi is an independent curator and consultant, specialising in Contemporary Art from the Middle East, Iran and selected areas of the Caucasus. Originally a nineteenth and twentieth century Orientalist art specialist at Christie's, Dina began to work with Middle Eastern and Iranian contemporary art in 2006, developing an international platform for the artists by organising numerous awareness-raising initiatives, such as the landmark symposium An Introduction to the World of Iranian Modern and Contemporary Art, held at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles in the autumn of 2010. With projects that have included curating private collections and advising major institutions, Dina divides her time between New York, London, Geneva, and Dubai.
Over the last three years Dina's shift towards the Caucasus region has been driven by an affinity with the people and culture of Azerbaijan, a neighbouring country of her native Iran, and her interest in the artists who belong to the growing contemporary art scene in Baku in particular.
Featured artists:
Faig Ahmed (Azerbaijan)
Rashad Alakbarov (Azerbaijan)
Afruz Amighi (Iran)
Kutluğ Ataman (Turkey)
Shoja Azari (Iran)
Rashad Babayev (Azerbaijan)
Mahmoud Bakhshi (Iran)
Ali Banisadr (Iran)
Ali Hasanov (Azerbaijan)
Orkhan Huseynov (Azerbaijan)
Sitara Ibrahimova (Azerbaijan)
Aida Mahmudova (Azerbaijan)
Taus Makhacheva (Russia)
Farhad Moshiri (Iran)
Farid Rasulov (Azerbaijan)
Slavs and Tatars ('Eurasia')
Iliko Zautashvili (Georgia)
The Exhibtion Catalogue
Edited by curator Dina Nasser-Khadivi and Farah Rahim Ismail, contributors to catalogue include:
Nada Raza, Assistant Curator at Tate Modern
Nicholas Cullinan, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Metropolitan Museum of Art
Negar Azimi, writer and Senior Editor of Bidoun Projects
Monica Steinberg, PhD Candidate, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Suad Garayeva, writer and curator specializing in Contemporary Art from Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Slavs and Tatars, a faction of polemics and intimacies devoted to an area east of the former Berlin Wall and west of the Great Wall of China known as Eurasia. The collective's work spans several media, disciplines, and a broad spectrum of cultural registers (high and low) focusing on an oft-forgotten sphere of influence between Slavs, Caucasians and Central Asians.
Adress: Tesa 111, Arsenale Nord, at La Biennale di Venezia - 55th International Art Exhibition, Italy
